Body of slain girl was unidentified for nearly four years; stepfather accused

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Prosecutors in Kansas City, Mo., say they won't seek the death penalty against a man accused of beheading his 3-year-old stepdaughter, whose body was unidentified for nearly four years and was known only as "Precious Doe."

Prosecutors previously had said they planned to seek the death penalty for 28-year-old Harrell Johnson, of Muskogee, Okla.

Johnson is charged with first-degree murder in the 2001 death of Erica Michelle Green. Her body was found in a park in Kansas City in 2001. Her head was discovered in a trash bag nearby.

But Jackson County prosecutor Jim Kanatzar announced Friday that he would not seek death, saying the case didn't meet necessary standards.

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